Toy puzzle.



0; E. ASHBURNER. TOY PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1913.

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cHAnLEs; EDWARD asHB nNER. or 'LYNoHBUne, VIRGINIA.

'rov PUZZLE] To all whom it may concern: p

Be it knownthat I, C1- IAnLns E. ASH- BURNER, a citizen of the United States, and. a resident of Lynchburg, in the county-of Campbell and State of Virginia, have ins vented certain new and useful Improve-s ments in Toy Puzzles of whioh the following is a full and clear specification, refer-' a fragmentary bottom view of a portion of g the partitions removed from the casing or box. I e

The device consists essentially of a casing having a flat bottom a, an upright marginal wall 6 and a cover 0 of glass or other transparent material. The. glass cover 0 may be omitted without departing from my invention, and while I have illustrated a. rectangular casing or box it will be understood that other shapes may be employed.

The interior of the box is divided into a multiplicity of pockets or chambers cl by intersecting partitions extending entirely across the box. In the form of my device illustrated I have shown these partitions as being arranged at right angles to each other and to the side walls of the box to thereby give a rectangular form to the compartments cl, but I desire it understood that the partitions may be arranged otherwise and that the compartments may be shaped otherwise or increased or decreased in number-without departing from the spirit of my invention. Resting on the bottom a of the box and adapted to freely roll thereon is a ball 5. The lower edges of the partitions are provided with a series of notches f, f,these notches serving to put the adjacent chambers into communication with each other. The notches f are large enough to permit the ball I) to pass through them but the notches 7 are slightly too small to permit the ball to pass through. The notches are all alike except for this slight difference in size," and this diflier ence in size is preferably so slight as not to be readily discernible by the eye.

To move the ball around from one compartment to another it is vsimply necessary to tilt the box while holding the same in ones hands, and. theproblem of the puzzle is to cause theball to pass from one of the Specification of Letters Patent. I

, poinpartnients to a final or goal Patented Sept.9, 1913.

Application filed April 12, 1913. Serial No. 760,779.

compartments, namely, the starting compartment through a series of intermediate compartment.

In the drawing I have designated the starting compartment with the word Start and the final compartment with the word Goal? The notches may be so disposed as to enable any two of the compartments to be used respectively as the starting and the goal compartments provided always that the two kinds of notches are so arranged that the ball must take a circuitous passage in order to get from the starting-compartment to the goal.

It is important that the blind notches f (through which the ball cannot'pass) shall closely simulate in appearance the notches 7 (through which the ball canpass) in order that in shifting the ball from one compartment to an adjacent compartment it will generally require the person attempting to solve the puzzle to test one or more notches with the ball before the real passage is ascertained. The wide variety and the arrangement of the two kinds of notches is obviously within the spirit of the invention but it will be generally desirable to provide the walls of the starting compartment with at least twoof the passage-notches f so as to give the solver a choice of directions, and one of these routes may be arranged more circuitous than-the other or may be to a blind or cul-desac and thus necessitate the retracing of the route at least a part of its length before the ball can be gotten to the goal. puzzle is especially intended for young children and for that class it will not only alford a keen amusement but will aid in de- This I veloping patience and care and the faculties of discernment. V

In Fig. 1 is indicated by a dotted line one possible route over which the ball must pass in order to reach the goal. I partments marked cl form a sort of blind or cul-de-sac, and should the ball be passed I into these compartments it will be necessary to retrace the route in order to get back on the main route; any number of these blinds or cul-de-sacs may be arranged along the The cells or com-- rality of intersecting partitions Within the the larger of the notches, substantially as 10 box-like receptacle thus formed, these parset forth.

titi-ons forming a plurality of cells or com- In testimony hereofI hereunto affix my partrnents and said cells being put into com signature in the presence of two itnesses. munication With eao 0t er means 0 e notches in the lower edges of all partitions, V 7 CHARLES EDWARD ASHBURNEB' said notches being alike in appearance "but Witnesses: differing as to Width, and a ball resting on A. T POWELL, the base platevand adapted to pass through s J., N, HAMNQR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 7 1 

